As someone who once dyed my then blonde hair pink on a dare, it occurs to me that while I’ve seen Old Man’s Whiskers outside in nature, I’ve never seen a man (old or young) brave enough to sport a pink beard (although I’m sure some have). For a long time, this wildflower of the west and northwest, has been on its way to becoming the passenger pigeon of plant life.
Read MoreWhat’s old, can sometimes be just as exciting as what’s new — at least when it comes to gardening. For this is the story of perennial varieties that have been available for at least fifty years or longer.
Read MoreOf all the flowers that grace our planet, there are none which excite more admiration, year after year, than daffodils. I think we love them simply because year after year, no other flowering bulb requires less attention — a fact which is surprising to the uninitiated. My experience with these special flowers is by no means exceptional. Anyone can grow daffodils.
Read MoreWith ever rising costs at the grocery store and many communities experiencing the closing of well-known grocery chains and additionally being “down-sided” to very limited selections in fresh produce — I think it’s time to return to the prudence of having home grown organic gardens as just one way of fighting back inflationary times. There’s got to be a better way and that is found by growing your own fruits and vegetables in a layering (lasagna style) garden.
Read MoreHowever, none of us trump Mother Nature who is the greatest creative artist of all. It is she who builds the beauty of her loveliest trees upon a structure of trunk and brand and twig, whose perfection of weight and line is as amazing, even if it is mostly under appreciated and under studied.
Read MoreTwo weeks from now there will be none available, unless you buy pureed in-the-can pumpkin or a pre-made pie, pumpkins will not be served on your table if your shopping is limited to the local stores. That wasn’t always the case, for pumpkins or “pompions” (as the Pilgrims actually called them) were a favorite in and out of the garden.
Read MoreWhat causes geraniums to shrivel and rot? The upper stems are dry and hollow and the stems and roots rot off below the soil.
Read MoreWhen I think of city gardens, my mind goes back to the wonderful little court yard and balcony city gardens of New Orleans. I am especially fond of the Bienville House Hotel’s courtyard garden, which is in my opinion one of those small places when the cares of the world just melts away. It’s those kinds of oases that every city dweller should seek solace from the troubles of everyday modern life.
Read More“Where summers are hot and humid, is it wise to plant roses where they get full sun?”
Read MoreThere are over twenty-eight thousand members of the potato plant family. What’s especially unique about this plant family is it’s role in history.
Read MoreThe wide-awake modern gardener is always looking ahead. Any ahead-looking that visualizes the garden of next year, as it will appear in late May and early June, must recognize the fact that irises will play a leading role in it.
Read MoreThis week we are out in the garden with Bob Ewing. Bob’s not just any ordinary gardener, but a gardener who prolifically writes about his gardening, someone who is active in his garden community and the schools in promoting this passion, and no doubt a wonderful cook. Avid gardeners like Bob, are a wonderful example to all of us in how gardeners can inspire other gardeners their whole life long. Let’s take a peak into Bob Ewing’s garden world:
Read MoreDo pineapples have seeds, and if so, can a pineapple be grown from them?——- Dori, from Woodbridge, VA
Read MoreSuppose you were only beautiful for one fleeting day, would it be worth it? What if your beauty was spectacular, but hardly anyone knew your name? That’s the position, of the Tigridias, for few gardeners seem to know their name, and fewer still, among flower lovers, have ever seen it, much less grown it. Yet, it has marvelously brilliant blooms.
Read MoreWithout the gardeners out in the gardens, mother nature’s but a wild jungle and sometimes a very tangled one. There are those gardeners among us, who really know their craft, and also manage to share what they know with others. They, who also write about gardening, have a lot to say. They also have a lot to offer when it comes to helping other gardeners. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Dolores Monet.
Read MoreIn the broad field of rose culture, past and present, a big question mark stands out. Why is it that the Moss Rose was so universally popular, present in every garden, over a hundred years ago, yet so seldom seen in gardens today? Many a present day rose grower has never seen one. Many more little of the usefulness and the charm of this type of rose.
Read MoreSo, if you are wondering what is the best way to control aphids in the
home garden? — the answer for severe infestations, or rather the
non-chemical answers are simple and cheap.
I believe to know a plant’s name and recognize it’s family members, is to love it. Some plants are literally crying out in their beauty for our love and attention. How many plants or flowers do you know by name? The average number of plants for most people to be able to name is around fifty. If that is so, that is just a small portion of the known plants on earth today. Here’s another plant family that you should get to know better.
Read MoreThe minute I saw the first batch of Impatiens at the front of the garden center, all I could think of was the miracle that must have brought them to us from so many thousands of miles away from their native damp Usambara Mountains, in far off Tanzania. This area, is known to be the original home of most of the garden Impatiens we know today. Naturally, I just had to bring them home.
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